Brain Storm is the 8th episode of the 3rd season episode of the Pinky and the Brain spin-off series and the 33rd episode overall. It originally aired on September 19, 1997.
Brain Storm[]
Animation by: Akom Film Production
Plot[]
After hearing on a scientist's tornado studies, Brain attempts to gain control over a tornado to conquer the world. He constructs a Verkimer Suit, a steel mech suit capable of stablization and control from within the vortex, before Pinky joins him on a journey to Kansas to catch a tornado. They encounter storm chaser Mumphausen, a self-proclaimed Twister King, and a race to catch the last tornado is on.
Crew[]
- Story by Liz Holzman
- Written by John P. McCann
- Directed by Russell Calabrese
Songs[]
Trivia[]
- This episode parodies elements of the 1996 film Twister.
- The phrases "air cow" and "air tractor" are borrowed from the movie.
- The Twister King, Kale Mumphausen, is a parody of the film's antagonist Jonas Miller, a rival corporate storm chaser portrayed by Cary Elwes. Elwes would later star in two Pinky and the Brain cartoons.
- Two characters outside the motel are also caricatures of characters from the movie: Bill and Jo Ann Harding, originally portrayed by Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt, respectively.
- The title of this cartoon is a play on the phrase "brainstorm", and connects to this episode's theme of exploring tornado storms.
- A recurring detail is the allusion to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and its 1939 film version.
- Pinky is afraid to be sent by the tornado to a realm with flying monkeys. Brain assures him the consequences will be more realistic and fatal.
- While Kansas is the center of the U.S.' "Tornado Alley" and is a convenient location for depictions of tornadoes in literature, the allusion is still notable.
- During their tornado hunt, the two mice utilize a scarecrow to drive their vehicle. Pinky gets especially sentimental about it.
- When the final tornado is arriving, a family similar to the Gale family is seen retreating into a storm cellar. They even have a dog.
- In the end, the suit is engulfed by the tornado along with the mice, and they are indeed transported to a magical realm with flying monkeys. Brain then proclaims that he and Pinky will try to take over "Oz." They start following the yellow brick road to a castle of emeralds, joined by the aforementioned mech suit and Wally the scarecrow as they sing the ending chorus.
- Pinky's comment about looking for the dish and the spoon refers to the nursery rhyme "Hey Diddle Diddle".
- The scene where the mice try to hitchhike with the Verkimer suit contains two references:
- The girls in the first passing car are Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon, stars of the 1991 film Thelma & Louise.
- The Verkimer suit attempting to hitchhike by showing some leg is a reference to a scene in the 1934 film It Happened One Night.
- The Verkimer suit being unharmed by the falling farm facade due to standing in the exact spot the window would land is a reference to the 1928 Buster Keaton film Steamboat Bill, Jr.. In the original film, William Canfield, Jr. (Keaton) is unharmed when a building facade falls on him during a windstorm as he also stood in the exact center where the window hole would land.
- After he is hit on the head by his large SUV, Mumphausen deliriously declares "I am the king!", a nod to the LA-centric Paul "the King of Big-Screen" TV commercials (as well as a recurring Animaniacs phrase).
Gallery[]
Production Art[]
Cast[]
| Voice Actors: | Character(s): |
| Rob Paulsen | Pinky, Additional Voices |
| Maurice LaMarche | The Brain, Additional Voices |
| Jeff Bennett | Professor Ginza, Kale Mumphausen, Ending Chorus Singer |
| Dani Douthette | Agnes |
| Frank Welker | Chickens, Flying Monkey (Uncredited) |
References[]
Special thanks to Brian Norman's "Bunches of References Accumulated In a Nutshell" (B.R.A.I.N) reference guide for aiding in documenting this episode's references.